"The Book of Revelation, An Eschatological Study of the Endtimes", by Chad J. McCoy
Chapter Eleven
Final Judgement
Rev.20:1-15: And I saw an angel
coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a
great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan,
and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and
sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand
years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
4 I saw thrones
on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls
of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of
the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received
his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ
a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand
years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who
have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but
they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand
years.
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison
8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth-Gog and
Magog-to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.
9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people,
the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil,
who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and
the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever
and ever.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth
and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the
dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another
book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what
they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in
it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged
according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake
of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone's name was not found
written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
After the
destruction of the nations at the Final Battle, and the capture of the AntiChrist
and False Apostle, an angel comes down from heaven with a huge chain and the key
to Hell.
Notice that this isn't a great angel, or a huge angel, or
a strong angel. It's simply an angel. This shows God's contempt for Lucifer. It doesn't
take anything great to subdue him, a regular angel will suffice.
The angel seizes
Satan, binds him with the chain, and throws him into Hell.
Then the angel locks
him in, and seals him in. There he will stay for 1,000 years, during which Christ
will be ruling the earth.
After the 1,000 years, he will be set free once more
for a short time.
John sees thrones appear, and people seated upon
them whom God has given authority to judge the nations. Those who had been martyred
for the testimony of Jesus, who had not worshipped the image of the beast nor taken
his mark, are given authority to reign along with Christ for those 1,000 years.
Afterwards, Satan will be freed, and will once more set out to decieve the nations.
What a one-track mind. I'd think his time could be better spent realizing he can't
defeat the Almighty, and begging for some kind of forgiveness.
But once again,
he is successful in deceiving the world and incurring God's wrath. This time he again
gathers all the nations to battle against Jerusalem. Where have we heard this before?
This time, God doesn't even bother to show up, showing how bored He has become with
the whole charade, too. I guess He hates re-runs as much as we do.
God simply
rains fire down from heaven and burns them all to a crisp. I wonder if He incinerated
another AntiChrist and False Apostle? Given the repetitiveness of Lucifer, I am sure
they were there.
(Wait a minute, I thought this would be 1,000 years of peace!
It looks like business as usual! And if there are regular flesh-and-blood people
on this earth for Satan to deceive, then I'm sure they have a chance at salvation,
too, just like we did! Surely, God wouldn't allow a situation where for 1,000 years,
everyone who is born goes straight to Hell upon their deaths! - Exactly. This only
adds more weight to the idea that people can become saved after the rapture. We don't
have any basis for God to be giving out His salvation, and then snatching it back,
and then giving it out, and then taking it back.)
Zechariah 14:16-21 describes
this 1,000 years for us: Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked
Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and
to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not
go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain.
18 If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The
LORD will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to
celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and the
punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
20 On that day HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the horses,
and the cooking pots in the LORD's house will be like the sacred bowls in front of
the altar. 21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD Almighty,
and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on
that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD Almighty.
The Lord decrees that everyone must come up to Jerusalem year after year to celebrate
the Feast of Tabernacles. This Feast was always held at the end of the final harvest
of olives and fruits. I believe that is significant. It was also celebrated as the
beginning of the Jewish New Year. It was to remind the people of their delivery from
Egypt and the deserts they traveled through on their way to the Promised Land.
The Lord says that any nation who refuses to come to Jerusalem and celebrate this
Feast will be punished by having no rain.
That indicates that all will not be
peaceful. Some nations will refuse to comply with the Lord.
These people will
be ripe for the picking when Satan is freed from his prison and goes out to deceive
the earth. It will be an easy thing for him to persuade the nations to attack Jerusalem.
They will be tired of the rules and punishments of God and will seek to destroy His
city yet again, but will be met with fire.
Then the charade is over, and Lucifer
is thrown back into Hell for the final time, never to be freed.
The
White Throne Judgement commences, where every soul who ever lived is brought back
to life and brought before the throne. The sea gave up its dead, and death and Hades
gives up the dead that are in them. Everyone is brought before the Throne and judged
according to their deeds. These deeds have all been written down in heavenly books,
and the dead are judged based on what has been written in these books.
Another book is opened, the Book of Life. Anyone whose name was not found in the
Book of Life was thrown into Hell, which is the second death.
I would
point out that all of us are in the Book of Life. Jesus says several times, that
if a person remains true to him, he will not blot out his name from the Book of Life.
Exodus 32:33: The LORD replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me
I will blot out of my book.
Rev.3:5: He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed
in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge
his name before my Father and his angels.
That means our names are all there
to begin with! God does not wish that a single one of us are lost! (Matthew 18:14:
In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones
should be lost.)
He gives us all the benefit of the doubt right away, even at
birth. Even though we have been born with a sin nature, God fully expects all of
us to overcome that nature, and be victorious in Him.
Only when we have died
in sin, are our names blotted out. God holds out hope for each of us all the way
until the end.
It is said that death and Hades are also thrown into the lake
of fire. That means they no longer serve any purpose, and are disposed of.
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